Conventional packaged devices such as integrated circuit (IC) devices are painstakingly manufactured for specific performance characteristics required for use in a wide range of electronic equipment. IC devices typically include a die with electronic circuitry, a casing encapsulating the die, and an array of external contacts. IC devices have an outer shape that defines a package profile. The external contacts can be pin-like leads or ball-pads of a ball-grid array. The ball-pads are arranged in a selected pattern, and solder balls are connected to the ball-pads. Ball-grid arrays generally have solder balls arranged, for example, in 6×9, 6×10, 6×12, 6×15, 6×16, 8×12, 8×14, or 8×16 patterns on the IC device, but other patterns are also used. Many IC devices with different circuitry can have the same ball-grid array but different outer profiles.
After IC devices are packaged, they are generally tested and marked in several post-production batch processes. Burn-in testing is one such post-production process for detecting whether any of the IC devices are likely to fail. Burn-in testing is performed before shipping IC devices to customers or using IC devices in electronic equipment.
Burn-in testing of IC devices typically involves applying specified electrical biases and signals in a controlled temperature environment. The IC devices are generally tested in more severe conditions and/or under more rigorous performance parameters than they are likely to experience during normal operation. During a typical burn-in test, several IC devices are loaded onto burn-in boards, and a batch of loaded burn-in boards is then placed in a test chamber (i.e., burn-in oven) that provides a controlled environment.
Burn-in boards are commonly printed circuit boards that conduct the electrical input/output parameters to the packaged devices. One example of a conventional burn-in board includes a printed circuit board and a plurality of sockets on the printed circuit board. The sockets each have a selected array of electrical leads electrically coupled to conductive lines in the printed circuit board. The electrical leads also have exposed contact tips positioned to engage solder balls of an IC device loaded into the socket. The conventional socket also has a nesting member with an opening that is shaped to closely correspond to the outer profile or shape of the IC device. The conventional nesting member receives the IC device and controls the position of the IC device within the socket in three dimensions (e.g., X, Y and Z axes). Accordingly, the nesting member ensures precise placement of the IC device in the socket so that the solder balls contact the correct electrical leads without damaging the solder balls. Precise and repeatable positioning of the IC devices in the sockets is essential for accurate and efficient burn-in testing of the IC device.
One problem with conventional burn-in boards is that it is difficult to perform burn-in tests for runs of IC devices with different profiles. In conventional systems, each socket typically has a dedicated nesting member configured to be used with IC devices with the same outer profile. The dedicated nesting member is accordingly used throughout several burn-in tests for IC devices with identical profiles. However, to test IC devices with different profiles on the same burn-in board requires reconfiguring all of the sockets to accommodate the different outer profiles. The sockets are reconfigured by removing the nesting members shaped for the outer profile of one type of IC device from each socket and attaching different nesting members specifically shaped and sized for the outer profile of another type of IC device. In a typical large scale manufacturing process for IC devices, reconfiguring burn-in boards to test IC devices having a different outer profile usually involves reconfiguring thousands of sockets. This process is extremely labor intensive, time consuming, and expensive because it not only requires thousands of new nests and many hours of skilled labor, but it also results in costly down time for the burn-in boards and testing equipment. Moreover, the nesting members and the sockets can also be damaged during the process of changing the nesting members. Therefore, conventional systems are not well suited for performing burn-in tests on IC devices with different profiles.